le·gal / ˈlēgəl/ • adj. 1. [attrib.] of, based on, or concerned with the law: the American legal system. ∎  appointed or required by the law: a legal requirement. ∎  of or relating to theological legalism. ∎  Law recognized by common or statutory law, as distinct from equity. ∎  (of paper) measuring 8 ½ by 14 inches.2. permitted by law: he claimed that it had all been legal.DERIVATIVES: le·gal·ly adv. [sentence adverb] legally, we're still very much married.

LEGAL

Conforming to the law; required or permitted by law; not forbidden by law.

The term legal is often used by the courts in reference to an inference of the law formulated as a matter of construction, rather than established by actual proof, such as legal malice.

legal XVI. — (O)F. légal or L. lēgālis, f. lēx, lēg- law; see -AL1.
So legality XV.